Chapter 51. Celebrations i

  Back in his old world the saying went, ‘Christmas for kids and new years for adults’. It had never made sense to go out and drink til you couldn’t stand but that was just him. In all his years he hadn’t been a big drinker, maybe a beer now and then or a glass of wine. But he could just not bother at all, no great loss. Christmas was one of his favourite times though, when all the family came together. Seeing the little ones and the big ones, who used to be little ones…seeing their faces light up, that was very special. When it had been them and their children the rule was you could open your stockings, then breakfast and after that then opening presents. It was hard for little guys to wait but rules are rules, he couldn’t remember a time when that had been changed. Then later it was just the two of them, still having their morning, still doing breakfast first. It had been comforting.

  Blinking awake he found Minnie’s wet nose half an inch from his own. “Merry Christmas, can we open the presents now, cause putting numbers on them was terrible and funny, I shook them but no rattles, did you wrap them in stuff, that would be terrible too, Naomi made tea for you, that and toast is waiting in the lounge, but it’s probably cold now, I’ve been waiting so looong.”. Naomi’s voice carried in, “Morning dad, the teas not cold and you’ve only been up for five minutes Minnie.”. The little person crouching over him laughed, “Feels like forever, come on pop.”. Will reached up and patted her shoulder “Lemme up sweetie, gotta use the head, then we can open up.”. She jumped back, tugged all the blankets off and stood tapping her foot. He got up, did the necessary and came out, threw on a robe. “Gotta check the boat first, quick trip on deck okay?”, he told her. “We know.”, she said.

  Climbing the ladder and opening the stair door found the crew in a perfectly normal day. Light fresh wind, blue skies with a high skim of clouds. The sun was barely over the horizon but promised to warm the boat soon. Gulls calling and wheeling over the beach, even a couple of pelicans flying sedately along the shore in search of whatever pelicans needed. Not much like the Christmas weather I’m used to, he thought, that’s all the way north of here and it can stay there. Checking the anchors took only a minute or two, giving the windlass a crank to see if the anchors had shifted over night but they were tight. They scanned the horizon for storm clouds but it was clear in every direction, all signs pointed to a good day, so back below they went.

  The lounge was warm and comfortable and Will settled into his easy chair with a sigh. Minnie sat beside him, close to the tree and looked at him with pleading eyes. “All right, all right. Let me find the list, shows me who gets what number”, Will laughed, reaching for his notebook. “Yeah, that was a dirty trick you know. How was I supposed to snoop if I didn’t know which was which.”, Minnie said indignantly. “Kinda the whole point you know?”, Will answered, “Ah, here we go.”. Reading out from his list “Number one is for Minnie and number three is for Naomi. Minnie quickly searched out those numbers and handed Naomi hers and ripped into her own.

  It only took a short while until every present had been opened. Wrapping paper had been everywhere, it wasn’t the brightly coloured stuff that Will had used in his past. But simple brown or white paper decorated with stars, moons, boats, whatever the wrapper decided. Will was quite happy with what he had given to Minnie and Naomi. An assortment of their favourite candies, the usual socks and slippers, a skipping rope that he had crafted over the past months. He thought it would help with exercise when the weather was bad. A memory book for Minnie, from the past year and before their life here. How he felt about her and how her being with him had saved him after losing his wife. For Naomi he had also constructed a book, mostly a cook book but also where the recipe came from, who had introduced it to him. And again, by pure coincidence, they were his favourite recipes too. From Oliebollen to pizza, croquettes to cheeseburgers.

  Naomi had gifted Will and Minnie oiled wool sweaters, made from the finest wool she could find. Her uncles had worn these for years while farming and hunting and she had knit them in the evening, one for herself too. “It’s best if you wear them close to your skin, the wool will keep you warm and cool. It just works like that.”, she added as the other two were admiring the new sweaters. “I love the smell.”, Minnie said, her nose buried in the wool. “There’s at least three different sheep that gave the wool, they smell so good.”. Will could tell it was definitely wool, but that was about it. He knew that merino wool was highly valued in his old world by people who spent time outside. “I was going to make long underwear for us too, but I ran out of time, and wool. I have to pick up more when we get to Laketown.”, Naomi added.

  Minnie had been holding two small boxes back and now passed them over to Will and Naomi. “I hope you like these, I worked on these for the past few months. I can’t believe you guys didn’t catch on.”, she said nervously. Will opened his and found something amazing. The small wooden box was nicely made and when Will opened it he heard a ticking. Inside was a pocket watch. His mouth dropped open and he couldn’t believe it. “You..wow Min, I’m.”, he stuttered. Naomi was equally shocked at finding one nearly exactly like it in her package. Wills was engraved with a rendering of the ship, on the outer cover which popped open when you pressed the stem. Naomi’s had a simple rose. About twice as big as his grandfather’s which was still in a case in the wheelhouse, far as he knew. “I had to make it big, I tried copying the other one but the parts are just too small. I couldn’t get the gears right, then I figured out it would work the same even if it was big. Do you guys like it?”, she asked nervously. Naomi was mostly stunned but knelt and hugged her. “Of course, it’s wonderful.”, she answered. Will recovered his wits and reassured her, “I love it, but I didn’t even realize you were working on this yet, when did you start?”. Minnie laughed, “All those times in the wheelhouse I was taking the watch apart and drawing the pieces, then put it back together real quick. Took a while but there they are.”.

  An amazing gift indeed, Will hadn’t realized her skill had progressed to making something as intricate as this. He had seen her take it apart the first time, a few months ago when they had found it in the dock at Laketown. But nothing since, she had kept that secret well. She had been in her workshop late some nights now that the weather was good. It was hard to do much of anything in twenty foot waves. “I’m working on a couple of big ones, the ones for in here and the mess. I know the kiddies won’t get it but now it will be easier to plan stuff. Instead of saying in a little while, we’ll all know when.” Minnie continued.

  After the excitement of opening present the tea and toast had gone cold. Will made a fresh pot and decided he needed some eggs with his toast so he pulled out the poacher. “Hey, you guys want a couple of eggs too?”, he called down the corridor. “Oh yeah, maybe some sausages too, hold on…yeah Naomi wants potatoes too, in those square things you make, and oh wow dad, she wants bacon too.”. He could Naomi laughing in the background, “Right, full breakfasts coming up.” he called back. It didn’t really take too long, peeling a potato required no thought at all, and before long the shreds were frying away in the forms, bacon and sausages slow cooking beside them. He could hear music coming from the lounge, Christmas tunes today. Sometimes Minnie singing, other times Naomi. Thinking back to the last December 25, it had been just before leaving on their Mexican trip.

  They had saved for a couple of years and were so looking forward to this long trip. Celebrating with the kids and grandkids was one of the last things before they left the next day. This year they were at their daughters house as their son lived on the coast now, this had also been a long trip but worth it to see family over the holidays. And they had to drop off their new puppy, she was going to stay with the family for the duration. The other pets, two cats had been boarded in a kennel, but there had been no room for Minnie. The next day flying down to New Orleans, boarding the ship and cruising down the Mexican coast for two weeks, stop overs and excursions all planned. It was hard to say goodbye after such a nice day but it was only for a couple of weeks.

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  Oops, the bacon was getting a little crispy, that got put on the hob to warm then Will turned his attention to the taters, flipping them over. Nearly ready so the poacher was out on the heat. Looking at it brought back more memories, one very close to this one was sitting on his counter at his old house. “Well it used too, wonder what happened to everything?”, he thought aloud. His passing, in any way you want to think about it, from his world to this one, had been pain free for him. Maybe not so much for those left behind. It was odd to be thinking about these facts now, it was probably the day’s events that brought memories to the surface. Thinking back he remembered coming to an empty house, after returning from that horrible trip. The nights in the hospitals, both Mexico and home. The weeks and months that followed, hollowed out and alone. If he hadn’t had Minnie to take care of he would have…well he had dark thoughts. The boat trip had been his attempt to get back in the world. A way to reconnect with the past and face a very different future that he had dreamed of.

  Seeing that everything was ready, he reached out the mess door and rang the dinner bell. The music stopped and he heard Minnie’s happy whoop, “Coming dad, we’re starving.”. The sound of her voice, and Naomi’s coming closer filled his heart with joy and as they came into the mess he picked up Minnie and spun her around. Then setting her near he gathered Naomi into a tight hug as well. “Thank you for your gifts today, and thank you for being part of my family.”. Min didn’t know what had brought that on, neither did the other girl, didn’t matter though, hugs were always welcome. “Hey dad, you okay? You seem sad, what’s going on?”, Minnie asked when she saw him, she could tell something had been up. “Nah it’s all good sweetie, just memories of the day, let’s eat I’m starved.”, he answered.

  And, just like that, he had to put his old life behind him. Yes there were hard memories, bad times, things he had lived through but there were thousands of good memories as well. All of those had formed him into who he was now, Captain Will Harris, of the steamboat Rose. Living and working on the endless water. Given a second chance at life, perhaps, by someone and for all he knew this happened to everyone. It’s not like anyone had returned to let people know what happened. No, he was content and more than content in this world.

  Breakfast, one of the nicest words in any language. Starts the day right, connects family, or friends. Gives you time to plan the day. Are we going to work hard today or just laze around and fish for our dinner? Shall we change our rooms around to get a fresh perspective or just let it go and eat toast and drink tea? The choice one makes doesn’t matter it’s having that choice that counts. It looked as though Minnie had made the choice to eat bacon and sausage until she was nearly bursting. “Holy moly Min, slow down, I think dad wanted at least one banger.”, Naomi laughed. “I’m ok sweetie, I’ll just have a few more hash browns,.”, but as he reached for the last one he made the mistake of meeting Naomi’s eyes. All sad and reproachful, brimming with tears…”Do you guys practice that?”, Will asked, pulling back from the golden fried tater patty. “On each other.”, the young girl laughed, taking the hash brown and sliding it onto his plate. “Oh for Pete’s sake, I forgot the poached eggs.”: he suddenly remembered, standing to get them. Sadly they were not salvageable, hard burnt blocks of eww. “Sorry guys, no eggs today, unless you want scrambled?”, he asked. Minnie waved her hand, “Not for me, I might have eaten a bit too much bacon, I’m going to lie down .”. Naomi shook her head too, “Same here, I’ll see you later dad.”. Looking at his empty plate he felt a bit full from the last of the potatoes, quickly cleaned up the table, set the pans soaking and headed back to his cabin too. The ticking of his new watch on his night table was comforting band he soon fell into a dreamless sleep, Minnie curled beside him.

  Waking up, again, was a bit weird at first. But it always was after a nap. You have the feeling it’s the next day and you’ve missed the whole afternoon and evening. Will had that feeling at first but the light out the port told him it was still early afternoon. Reaching around he found Minnie was up and gone already. And for some reason he could hear running steps on deck. Checking his watch! He found only an hour and a half had passed and his stomach had settled down nicely. Dressing in clean shorts and shirt he washed up quickly and climbed the stairs to the main deck. It was still a fine day and there was yells of laughter coming from the bow. Not using the walkway he strolled along the rails admiring the view but stopped quickly at the sight before him.

  Minnie was attempting to skip but had a problem. Her tail kept catching the rope on the back swing. Not every time but sometimes and that amused Naomi greatly. “Maybe tie it to your belt, or tuck it inside your pants.”, she was calling out suggestions as Minnie grew a bit irritated. They noticed him watching, “Got any ideas dad.”, Minnie puffed out. Will shrugged, “Learn to flick your tail up or down real quick or tuck it in your shorts.”. Naomi stuck her tongue out Minnie at the suggestion “Told you so.”. She growled but did as they suggested and was much more successful. “Have you tried too!”, Will asked Naomi. “Yeah, I’m pretty good, but only if I wear shorts, my sundress caught all over the place .”, she replied. Will looked her rope over, “The handles need to come up to your chest if you stand on the rope, just a good way to measure. Yours are good but Minnie’s is a bit too long.”. He quickly adjusted it and the first mate found it much easier and her tail wasn’t struck quite so much. Still a bit but she was working on it.

  They lounged on deck for a few hours until a cool wind let them know it was time to go below. The waves had picked up a bit too so Will payed out a bit more anchor rode to make up for the increased heave. Standing at the rail looking at the dimming bulk of the shore it still sometimes hit Will. No lights, a very empty section of coast indeed. Sometimes they could make out a farmhouse, or campfire. But not tonight, just blackness. Going below was like coming home. Familiar smells, warm, sounds that just made them comfortable. A big meal was planned tonight. Mashed taters and gravy, yorkshire puddings, carrots and a large turkey already roasting in the galley. As the rest of the meal came together Will set the table in the mess for tonight, beside the three plates he had put a small folding of paper. Bringing in the different dishes they sat down. Will raised his glass of juice, “Merry Christmas guys, don’t forget your hat.”. And he opened his slip of paper and set it carefully on his head. Minnie was delighted “Is this what you always did? Cause I love it, they’re so silly looking.”. Naomi opened hers as well and wore it proudly. The turkey sat in the middle waiting to be sliced, roasted to perfection. Will had mentioned that his wife always cooked hers in a bag, that took a while to explain. Slicing the white and the dark, making sure the potatoes and yorkshires had the right amount of gravy, that the carrots were sufficiently buttered always took a few minutes.

  Several platefuls later and dinner was done. Leftovers scraped into the bucket for dumping, turkey deboned and ready for croquettes, hoping it kept well overnight. Time would tell. Cleanup never took long when it was just the three of them. Mind you, big meals like this never really happened when the gatherers were aboard, simpler fare was easier for a group. After the galley was sparkling again the full crew sat in a bit of a coma in the lounge. Not too much for Naomi, she never ate to a great extent as Minnie or Will, but she held her own tonight. A few games of old maid, and then off to bed. The next few days were travelling, Laketown was three or four days from here. It had been months since they were there and everyone was looking forward to visiting.

  Their cabin was dark and warm, the portholes were cracked open a bit for some fresh air, Will slipped in to the warm sheets, Minnie in her usual spot, “Night dad, Christmas was fun, can we do it again?”. He laughed a bit “Every year sweetheart, every year.”.

  Menu

  William Harris

  Age 35 (stabilized)

  Intelligence 41/50

  Strength 50/50 Maximum level.

  Vitality 48/50

  Stamina 48/50

  Affinities for gardening, cultivating, fishing, knitting, swimming, mariner ,

  Captain of the heartboat Rose

  Minnie

  Best dog of all

  Age 17

  Intelligence 22/25

  Strength 24/25

  Vitality 24/25

  Stamina 24/25

  Affinities for fishing, swimming, husbandry, mariner

  First Mate of the heartboat Rose

  *The tinker skill has been upgraded*

  Naomi 0’Malley

  Age 18

  Intelligence 38/50

  Strength 41/50

  Vitality 39/50

  Stamina 43/50

  Affinities for cooking, fishing, gardening, swimming, mariner

  Second Mate of the heartboat Rose